London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

Scotland Yard’s plan to shut dozens of police stations received a boost today as a new report revealed that they are being visited by an average of fewer than two people an hour.

Figures published by the think-tank Reform show that only 65 people call in at the capital’s police stations each hour to report a crime or other concern, suggesting that many counters are lying unused for much of the day.

The findings come as Scotland Yard and Mayor Boris Johnson embark on a cost-cutting programme that will lead to the closure of up to 65 police stations and the transfer of police counters to “contact points” in libraries, supermarkets and even coffee shops.

Opponents claim the plans, which are part of wider cost-cutting drive intended to slash £500 million of spending over the next three years, will damage the fight against crime by making it harder for the public to report offences.

Today’s report says, however, that even the busiest London police stations are rarely used by the public. The two stations in Harrow, the borough with the highest public attendance rate, have an average of just 4.11 visits per opening hour. Only one other borough, Bromley, has more than four visits an hour.

By contrast, Wandsworth, despite a relatively high crime rate, sees an average of only 1.2 visits an hour to its five stations. Most other boroughs also have fewer than two an hour.

Andrew Haldenby, Reform’s director, said the findings showed that police station closures were justified. “In the new era of tight money, no public service can afford to waste a penny on facilities that are not being used,” he said.

The report says one reason for the low use of police stations is that people frequently use other methods, such as the phone, to contact police officers.